1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an image forming apparatus having a pick-up unit configured to pick up a printing medium in a printing medium storage unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus is an apparatus designed to form an image on a printing medium, and includes a printer, a copy machine, a facsimile, and a multifunctional device incorporating the functionalities of the printer, the copy machine, and the facsimile.
An image forming apparatus includes a body provided at an inner side thereof with a printing medium transportation path through which a printing medium is transported, a printing medium storage unit disposed at a lower side of the body and configured to store printing media, a developing unit configured to develop an electrostatic latent image to a visible image through developer and to transfer the visible image to the printing medium, an exposure unit enabling an electrostatic latent image to be formed on a photoconductor of the developing unit, and a fixing unit to fix the developer transferred to the printing medium.
The image forming apparatus includes a pick-up unit to pick up the printing media, which are stored in the printing medium storage unit, one by one, and to transport the picked printing medium to a printing medium transportation path. The pick-up unit includes a pick-up roller having a pick-up portion protruding at an outer circumferential surface thereof. According to the rotation of the pick-up roller, the pick-up portion makes contact with the printing medium stored in the printing medium storage unit, so that the printing medium is picked up and transported.
In the case of the pick-up roller having the above-described structure, in order to increase the distance of the printing medium being transported by the pick-up roller, the diameter of the pick-up roller needs to be increased. If the diameter of the pick-up roller is increased, the height of the body also needs to be increased to correspond to the increased diameter.